Making half hard copper wire

[Petal]

ATM, I buy my soft copper wire in reels and I want to make my own half hard wire with 0.8mm and 1.00mm wire. I've tried to do this bunging one end of the wire in my drill and the other end in a vice, with variable results.

BTW, I haven't got a draw plate or a proper bench for drawing wire.

Has anyone got any tips as to how I can improve my technique, so I can achieve more consistent results - many thanks in advance.

[ps_bond]

Rather than twisting it, have you tried grabbing it with a pair of decent pliers & pulling it until you feel it give slightly?

[Petal]

I have tried grabbing it Peter, but I think I must have pulled too hard, as the 1mm wire then became .9mm ! So, I could just pull it until it give slightly and that should be half hard?

[ps_bond]

Unfortunately, the work hardening you're doing in that case to harden it is a case of plastic deformation - so it's going to get narrower.
"Half hard" is a bit of a subjective term though; give it a go and see if it hard enough. If you need a specific diameter then I'd use a drawplate.

[Petal]

Ahh, I see what I've done now. I've had another go and its much better than the last attempt, with my jumprings easier to saw.

OK, so if I want consistent wire sizes, rather than me just pulling my wire and guessing, I should get a drawplate. There are loads out there, do you have any specific recommendations..?

[ps_bond]

The expensive ones...

A tungsten insert drawplate gives a much, much better surface finish than a plain steel one. Avoid the very cheap ones as they're less than useful, go for a European-made one (Swiss for example) and expect to pay at least £50ish for a plain steel one.

[Petal]

OK, so if I get one, could I get away with drawing wire using a vice, rather than also buying a very expensive drawbench too ?

My cc is weeping enough as it is, as I've just paid an enormous oil bill!

[ps_bond]

Yes, but make sure your vice has soft jaws - these things are too expensive to risk knackering them!

I'm in the process of welding up a drawbench using a boat winch as the puller; IIRC, Dennis has made something similar.
£22 for the tongs, £15 for the winch, scrap steel and some paint.

[Petal]

Would this be any good? http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/tw1200-hand-operated-winch Having said that, I'm not sure I'd have the room for it...

[ps_bond]

Yes, but I'm not keen on the price! Chandlers or Ebay might be a better bet. I went for one with a webbing strap rather than wire rope FWIW.

[Petal]

I'm going round in circles here. I've googled, ebayed and looked at Chandlers too. Could either you or Dennis post a pic when you have time, so I can see what I'm getting (if I get one). For a non techie, it all looks a bit over complicated... :confused:

[trialuser]

type in boat winch or hand winch, millions of them, like this (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MANUAL-HAND-WINCH-1200-LBS-BOAT-TRAILER-CARAVAN-OFF-ROAD-20FT-6m-STRAP-50mm-wide-/120856254264?pt=UK_Trailers_Transporters_Parts&hash=item1c23981738)
Tutorial here (http://www.meevis.com/jewelry-making-class-making-a-hanging-draw-bench.htm)

[ps_bond]

That EBay one is from the same seller as I bought from; I only went for 800lbs though...

[Dennis]

I have come in a little late here Jules, but to draw wires up-to about 1.2mm requires so little strength that all you need is a vice, a drawplate from Cookies and some serrated general purpose pliers.

A winch is useful for thicker wires for a smooth pulling action with little effort. I have used this home made version for at least sixteen years with items I already had, plus a DL1100A winch from a boat chandlers, some non-stretch rope and a steel ring and hand draw-pliers with one hook for the ring.

You quickly develop a rhythm for repeated passes and only stop for re-annealing. When once a week I attend a college workshop, I am forced to use a professional Drawbench, which I hate with a passion. The reason is that you spend more time arranging the drawplate and the self closing pliers at each pass than you ever do in drawing down wire. Dennis.

[Petal]

Many thanks for the pic and info Dennis. I think the winch is a bit overkill for my needs, so I'll go with the the vice and drawplate idea.

Kind Regards
xxx

[Dennis]

Well as has been said above, if you anneal and then stretch using your vice and some pliers, you can also dispense with a drawplate. It's just a matter of pulling evenly until the wire is perfectly straight. You will lose about 10% of your diameter in the process. Dennis.